Love Hina: Can it Be?
by Vegetto800
Summary: Keitaro had always had the dream of being accepted in to Tokyo U and also being with his promised girl Naru. Certain events have place all that into jeopardy. Same story but rewritten, R and R.
1. A shock to the system

" Can it be?"

A/N I do not own Love Hina or anything from it, but I would like to express this is my first FanFic of Love Hina so constructive comments would

be appreciated.

**_"_** this symbol means speaking**_"_**

**** this one is thinking ****

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_**Here is a man: His name is Keitaro Urashima. He is 22 years old and is striving to get into the most prestigious college in Japan: Tokyo University.**_

_**His story does not simply end there; he has also made a promise to a certain young lady by the name of Naru Narusegawa. That promise was to get into Tokyo-U together, and as the tales said: live happily together.**_

_**Something has happened, though. This has shaken this man's world…to a point where he is unsure of what he really wants…and even IF he can keep his promise.**_

_**This is his story.**_

He was sitting alone on the rooftop, thinking aloud about all that has happened in the last few days.

"I dont understand how could this happen. I mean… just a short while ago I was so content with getting into Tokyo U, and getting together with Narusegawa… that nothing else seemed to be

any importants to me." He slapped his own forehead at his mistake. "Damn! Now, of course everyone here at the Inn is extremely important to me!" he focused his gaze, again on the city below. "But getting into college and maybe… someday… get married to Naru was what

I had been hoping for…for so long that I-I missed what was going on around me and… how it was affecting the others! Man, sometimes… I mean: am I really THAT dense?" he let out a tired sigh.

"Sempai...? Sempai, are you up here?" a young girl's shy voice interrupted his brooding. Keitaro quickly whipped his face around and saw the inn's resident chef, searching for him on the laundry deck a few feet away from his position.

"Ah, Shinobu-chan. I'm here. What do you need today" he asked her with an unintentional, slightly irritated tone to his voice. Luckily for him, the blue-haired teenager didn't seem to catch it. She looked up at him from the deck and blushed slightly. "Ah, S-Sempai. I-I'm sorry to bother you with this, but…y-you see, I-I think I need your help with some of my h-homework" she blushed further and looked up at him, waving her hands around. "B-B-But if you, I mean…if you are too busy, then I-I can just…c-come back later-" she was cut-off from her quick speech.

"No, Shinobu-chan. That's Ok. I'd be more than happy to help you." Keitaro spoke with a slight smile and a wave of a hand. "Besides, I'm not doing much now, anyway…Just, you know…brooding. Nothing more"

"Brooding? I don't understand, Sempai" Shinobu blinked twice in confusion. "Why is that?" she timidly asked with an adorable look of genuine concern on her pale face.

Even the heart of a Hell spawned ninja would melt with that look. Keitaro sighed.

"Oh, please don't worry about it so much. It's…nothing worth your concern. Really, no need to worry." He said as he made his way down from the roof to the laundry deck. He stood before Shinobu before speaking again. "So. How about we take care of that homework of yours?" he changed the subject with a smile the young girl believed to be honest. She nodded and led the kanrinin to her room.

'Shinobu-chan…I'm sorry. But I…I'm not the happy-go-lucky guy I normally am. There's just too damn much in my mind. I still am not sure on how to deal with it…' he thought bitterly as he followed the bluenette.

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Meanwhile, somewhere else in the dormitory…

'Thinking he'd take ME seriously! How stupid is THAT!? Just WHAT can I possibly offer a man…as sweet, humble, caring…loving as he is.'

'Sure. My body…would that be enough to have him want me? I wouldn't…I wouldn't even know HOW to please him like…like a god-damn experienced woman would. Also…I'm MORE than damn sure he loves Naru-chan more than anything in this world…'

'Does that…make me a horrible person? Is it…is it so BAD to try and get what my heart wants the most?'

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In Shinobu's room…

Keitaro had just finished explaining Shinobu how the men of the US Army's 1st Infantry Division, otherwise known as "The Big Red One", fought their way through the heavily fortified Sigfried Line at the edge of Germany during World War II.

Shinobu was almost swirly-eyed by so much information on how "The Big Red One" fought against Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps under the scorching heat of North Africa, Benito Muscollini's fascis forces on hillsides of Italy, the nearly epic battle on Omaha beach on D-Day, in the northern coast of Normandy, the fierce house-to-house combat during the darkest days of occupied France, and the merciless freezing temperatures of the Ardennes Forest.

Shinobu let out a tired sigh as she finished taking her notes, setting the pencil down, and rubbing her hand to get the feeling back into it. She gave Keitaro a most grateful look.

"Thank you so much, Sempai. I couldn't have possibly done it without you. I would have gotten a headache, instead." She smiled shyly and blushed when her Sempai placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, come on now, Shinobu-chan. Don't say that about yourself. In all honesty, I think you are one of the smartest people I've ever met" he gave her shoulder a little squeeze and smiled warmly at her.

She nearly fainted by the sudden, massive rush of blood up to her face. She gulped and got herself under control again. She looked up at Keitaro.

"T-Thank you s-so much, Sempai! That…that's r-really…that really makes me happy!" she squealed at the end. Her blush would now put a Ferrari F1's red painting into shame. Keitaro just sweat-dropped and laughed uneasily.

"W-Well, I'm glad, then. Now, I'm sorry but I have to go. There are some chores I have to take care of" he stood up from the chair next to Shinobu on her desk and placed his hand over her head. "Or else, I'll get another round of Naru-Punches or Ki Attacks" they both laughed for a moment as Keitaro ruffled the younger girl's blue hair affectionately.

Shinobu failed to hear the young man's bitter tone to his laughter.

He bid her goodbye and walked out of the room. He went to the storage closet to get the supplies for his daily duties. Once he had everything he needed, he walked down the hall to go and clean the hot springs. He stopped; however, when he thought he heard what he could have sworn was a choked sob, coming from within one of the residents' room.

He stood in front of the closed rice-paper door for a moment, considering if he what he heard was even real. No other sounds came from the other side of the door, so he simply shrugged it off and kept walking.

'No way SHE would be crying, now. Must've been my imagination…'

Oh, how wrong was he. Inside the room, the woman was biting her lower lip to stop whatever cries that would catch Keitaro's attention from coming out. She had let out that sob just as the young man's shadow appeared on the other side of the closed door.

She wanted him! No…she NEEDED him! She WANTED to open that door…! But her body would just…not move. Why? Why couldn't she let the young man know how she truly needed him?

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Little time later, at the hot springs…

"WAIT, NARUSEGAWA! THIS IS NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!"

As always, Naru's fist made contact with his lower jaw in a vicious uppercut, cutting him off and sending his nigh invincible body high up into the sky.

'You know? THIS is starting to get a little old.'

'I mean come on! ALL I did was walk into the springs to clean them, just like I ALWAYS do at this time of the day and there is Narusegawa, Motoko-chan and even Auntie Haruka, taking a bath!'

'Just HOW was I supposed to know they were there in the first place!? And then, WHY didn't they put up that OCCUPIED sign I gave them the last time THIS happened!?'

'You know…? I SWEAR I believe both Narusegawa AND Motoko-chan do this on PURPOSE, just so they can FREAKING HIT ME!'

These were his angry, yet calculated and accurate thoughts on the situation as he saw the roof of a fruits delivery truck coming in to meet him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Keitaro finally made his way back to the Hinata Inn. He walked up the flight of stairs leading up to the building, flung open the front door and announced his arrival.

"Oh, yay! Keitaro's back! Can we eat now!?" the always hyperactive Kaolla asked everybody, and her nose quickly perked up when she smelled a familiar scent. Her eyes turned into small, pink hearts and she leapt over to Keitaro, sniffing all over his face and shoulders.

"Ne, Keitaro! You smell like bananas! Kaolla loves bananas! YAY!" she cheered happily. She blinked in confusion, though, as she couldn't see the young man's face, with his bangs of brown hair hiding his eyes. Kaolla jumped on his shoulders and looked at him upside-down.

"Huh? Keitaro! What's up? Don't you like smelling like bananas?" she asked innocently. On the dinner table, Mitsune, Motoko, Naru, Shinobu and Haruka looked at him expectantly; the oldest woman's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly.

"I fell into a fruits delivery truck. Now, Su. Will you please get off me?" his voice was almost dead, and cold as ice.

Kaolla's ever-cheerful face turned solemn and she obediently crawled off his shoulders. Standing straight before him, the MolMolian Princess spoke.

"Keitaro, are you alright?" Keitaro looked up, revealing a practically sick mixture of anger, sadness, contempt and all kinds of negative, dark emotions displayed on his face.

"As a matter of fact, Su-chan…No. I'm not alright" his voice was almost threateningly low. "To be more accurate, Su-chan…" he gritted his teeth and hissed. "I…am…COMPLETELY PISSED!" he cried out and slammed his fist against the wooden wall beside him, leaving a clear dent on the hard wood.

A collective gasp was heard from the dinning table; Mitsune's eyes opened all the way. Naru was too stunned to speak. Haruka's face took on a sour look. Motoko's brows soon furrowed and her pale features twisted into a snarl.

"URASHIMA! Don't YOU use such language in front of the children" The swordswoman ordered, motioning towards Su and Shinobu.

She received yet another shock immediately after.

"Motoko-chan…" Keitaro almost normally started…" SHUT UP! SHUT THE HELL UP! Shut your mouth! Do it now and KEEP IT SHUT!" he barked, pointing his index finger at her. "And for YOUR information! My name is Keitaro! K-E-I-T-A-R-O! You hear me, you lousy excuse of a Kendo-girl!? People have first names, you know!? Is that so FREAKING hard to remember, huh!?"

Without realizing it, the infuriated young man had stomped over to the younger girl, grabbed her by the collar of her white gi, and was now screaming on her face. A second later, a loud **SMACK!** echoed through the room and Motoko was released from Keitaro's grip as he fell on the floor with a loud THUD!

Slowly, carefully, Keitaro stood back up. He rubbed his jaw for a moment, before looking back at his aunt with a look that equaled her stoic face. "Can I know…just what the Hell was THAT for?" he asked in an unusual calm tone. Haruka's normal, stoic and expressionless face was betrayed by a look of clear anger.

"Boy. How can you even ask me that, after what you just said and did Kietaro…" granted. Her nephew had never seen her face like this. But he had other things in mind just now to be surprised. With what could be considered a smirk, Keitaro spoke up.

"I honestly DON'T think you should have done THAT, though. And that's because…" he then shocked everyone yet again, by swiftly bringing his hand to Haruka's neck and wrapping his fingers around it.

He effortlessly lifted the older woman with one arm, keeping a regular amount of pressure on her neck. Haruka, even being the martial arts expert she had been for several years, couldn't think of anything but to struggle against her nephews incredibly strong hold, grabbing his arm with her hands and get him to release her.

"That's because I'm pissed, Auntie. THAT'S why you SHOULDN'T have hit me!" he snarled before squeezing Haruka's neck with a strong force, making her let out a weak cry…

Keitaro's own, cold eyes suddenly went wide as saucers. He immediately released his hold on Haruka's neck, letting her fall on her derriere, choking and coughing for air. Keitaro's knees suddenly started to shake and he soon fell flat on his rear. He suddenly whimpered and scrambled back on the floor until his back hit a wall. He looked on in horror at the girls.

"W-What have I…?" he whispered weakly. 'What have I DONE?' he mentally cried. He quickly scrambled to his feet and ran upstairs to his room, slamming the door closed and locking it.

Down at the dinning table, Shinobu was the first one to snap out of the absolute shock and helped Haruka stand up. The older woman leaned against the table, taking more steady breaths. The other girls soon came back to their senses.

"W-What just happened…? Am I drunk or what?" Kitsune asked no-one in particular. Motoko's hold on her sword tightened until her knuckles went white. Su tugged at Haruka's apron and looked up with hurt and confusion.

"Haruka, why did onni-chan do that?" she asked in a low voice. The older woman got her breath back and closed her eyes.

"Honestly, Su-chan…I've got no idea. Honestly…I'm not sure." she said, taking a quick side-glance at Narusegawa and Aoyama. 'Sorry for lying, Su. But he just snapped. And he had every right to do so…what was I thinking. He was right. I shouldn't have hit'im…'

While Motoko remained silent, holding the hilt of her sword, Naru soon started pointing accusations.

"AHA! NOW you see, Haruka-san!? That pervert is a danger to EVERYONE here! He just CAN'T stay here any longer! No-one is safe with that loser around!" she bickered. Haruka gritted her teeth and faced the younger woman.

"You know what, Naru? Do me and everyone here a favor, would you?" Naru blinked twice in sudden confusion.

"What? What favor?"****

"Oh, it's simple really" Haruka closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "SHUT UP!" she barked, enraged. She then grabbed the collar of Naru's sweater and continued. "Look, girl! I now realize I HAD what Keitaro did coming! You're lucky I hit'im before YOU did…because you WOULDN'T have gotten away" she looked at Naru dead in the eye and saw evident fear. "And THIS is all YOUR fault, kid! Haven't you EVER thought about his feelings before!? It doesn't take a Toudaisei to see that EVERY time you hit the boy, it tears him up inside!" Haruka's voice lowered to a cold whisper. "You know? Every time he comes back after his "free flights", he stops by the teashop to say hi to me, or to have a cup of tea. And if you, heart-less BRAT could see that look on the boy's face…he always looks like an innocent man with a death sentence!" she shouted again in Naru's face. She then let go off her sweater and let her to fall roughly on her chair.

Haruka took out a cigarette from her pocket, lit it up and placed it between her lips. She then walked back to her original seat on the dinning table and took a long, slow drag from the cancer stick. She then kept her eyes closed as she spoke.

"Keitaro is braver than any man I've ever met in my life. You know why? All the years he's spent working his fingers to the bone, trying to accomplish his dreams…they've left their mark on him. He was already shattered BEFORE he came up here, girls. But now…he's broken. Nothing less…but probably more" Haruka puffed out a small cloud of smoke from her nose.

"B-But…" Motoko started with a quivering lip, her hold on her sword long gone. "But what about when he comes in the hot springs to peek on us! O-Or when he walks in our rooms when we're changing!?" Haruka gave the swordswoman a cold, angry glare as she spoke.

"Do you HONESTLY believe he does that on purpose? Do you think he's some kind of masochist!?" she barked. "For God's sakes! The boy even gave YOU girls, a sign to put up!" Haruka settled down again with a long drag from her cigarette. She sighed. "Look: if anyone of you gives a damn about Keitaro" she glared at Narusegawa, Aoyama and Mitsune, but then softened her gaze on Shinobu and Suu. "Give him some time and space to sort all this out".

When she was done talking, everyone had lost their appetite for dinner. Naru and Motoko headed back to their rooms, while Su calmly helped Shinobu clean the dinning table. Kitsune, however, stood next to Haruka, and with half-opened eyes, she addressed the smoker.

"Haruka-san, can I talk to you for a moment?"****

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A/N: now this was my very first Love Hina Fic, and to say it was sucessful is an understatement. I have recently decided to have my Beta-reader go over this whole story with me chapter by chapter, so that we can bring you my wonderful readers a much better reading experience for this story. to say that I don't care about my readers is a flat out lie, because of you is the reason that I write. I want to thank you guys and my beta-reader **Major Mike Powell III** for helping me make this and any of my stories that I am either now writing or will write in the future a great sucess. So thanks alot guys.


	2. Fed up with it all

"Can it be?"

A/N I do not own Love Hina or anything from it.

"side note" I want to thank all the people that reviewd so far, I have to say that I never thought that I would have so many this quickly its been very encouraging.

_**"**_ means talking_** "**_

__means thinking __

now on with the story.

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In Keitaro's room, meanwhile…

'Oh…my…GOD! W-W-WHAT did I just DO!? I-I can't believe I…I barked at all the girls, a-and bit Motoko-chan's head off! And…Aunt Haruka…oh God…I-I tried to choke her! What…what happened…what IS happening to me?! It-it's GOT to be because of all the beatings! I-I just cracked…' Keitaro's desperate and near insane train of thought was interrupted by a knock on his door.

"Hey, Keitaro. 'You there, kid?" Haruka's voice came from the other side of his door. His eyes widened in shock and mild terror. His Aunt was coming in to give him what he deserved. 'Well, I can't hope for her to be merciful'.

"Y-Y-Yeah…I-I'm here! C-C-Come on in" he managed to get out, letting a tired sigh escape his lips. He quickly shut his eyes tightly the second he saw the sliding door open an inch, imagining his aunt to be holding a .45 Colt M1911A1 at his head.

"Keitaro? What is it?" instead of the click and BANG! of a semi-automatic handgun, what greeted him was…silence. He kept his eyes shut, only to open them wide when he felt a woman's hands on his cheek and shoulder. Keitaro's eyes flew open. Brown met brown as their eyes met; his wide-open and scared, while hers were calm and warm…before he could stop himself, Keitaro wrapped his arms around Haruka's waist and nestled his head in her lap, leaving her shocked.

He then wept while a no-longer shocked Haruka stroked his back and head.

"That's right, boy…let it all out. Just let it out…" she cooed to him.

Minutes later, after Keitaro had let out his grief, he managed to put himself back together. He slowly disengaged himself from Haruka and sat down on his knees, with his head bowed low so Haruka wouldn't see his tear-streaked, messy face. He then did what he did best…

"Haruka-san, I know my apologies won't be enough to make up for what I just did to you and the others, but you have them anyways: I'm sorry…a-and if…i-if you want me to…l-leave the Hinata Inn, I will be gone within half an hour or so-" his aunt cut him off.

"Keitaro!" she barked at him. Her nephew looked up in fear and near panic. Her hardened eyes softened. "Boy, YOU are the kanrinin of this place. I'm no-one to kick you out" she let out a soft smile. She reached out to him, wiped away his tears and fixed some of his hair back in place. She then patted his cheek. "There we go. Much better now" a small blush of embarrassment lit Keitaro's cheeks.

"This feels just like the old times, doesn't it?" he whispered. Haruka nodded and did what she used to do back in the old times: she wrapped her arms around Keitaro and he leaned his head on her chest, while she supported her chin above his hair. She didn't feel her nephew stiffen at the contact.

'That's a bit of progress…' she thought. 'Now the hard part…' she spoke:

"Keitaro, I want you to listen to me. Keep quiet and just listen. Ok?" she cooed. She felt him nod, and closed her eyes before speaking again. "First of all, you're NOT the one to apologize. Not now…and in fact, you've NEVER have had to apologize in the very first place. What happened here…I did somethin' I shouldn't have…and that I never thought I'd actually do. And that is to have hit you, Kei. And I'm so damn sorry I did that. It was just that…" she ruffled her nephew's hair slightly. "You looked…"

"Crazy" was Keitaro's quiet reply. Haruka's eyes opened and she frowned. With a sigh, she spoke again.

"Now, listen Keitaro. I wasn't gonna say-" he cut her off now. "Haruka-san, just…stop it, alright?" Keitaro disengaged himself from his aunt's embrace…though quite reluctantly. "I understand why you hit me. And I'm…well, you apologizing to me is not going to make what I DID right!" he protested. "The way I acted…CAN NOT possibly be excused…"

Haruka couldn't hear anything from there on. The sound of his voice was…'My God…that can't be his voice…' was her only thought at the incredibly depressed, sad and regretful tone of voice she had ever heard come out of Keitaro's mouth. She managed to speak.

"K-Keitaro, look…" she closed her eyes to prevent her nephew from seeing the small tears forming beneath her eyelashes. "I can't…I can't even BEGIN to understand just WHAT you're goin' through here. I can't…" she covered her face with one hand and sighed. "At this point…all I can say is that…I'm sorry. And I WANT you to know that I never, EVER meant to hurt in ANY way…and what I did back there was just plain wrong. And all I can hope for is that you forgive me for my rash actions. I…" she was yet again cut-off by Keitaro, who put his hand on her cheek. She opened her eyes and stared into his own.

"Listen, Auntie" he did that on purpose. The tension and sadness needed to be wiped away…and it did when Haruka's eyebrow twitched and she gave him a 'What the HELL did you just call me?' kind of look. He actually chuckled. "Despite all this…I now know I'm not happy about being hit by you. But I want you to know that I won't hold a grudge all of a sudden because of it. I understand why you did it, and I know I had it coming. So…let's just let all this go and move on" he spoke, giving his aunt an honest smile. "What do you say?"

Despite being called "Auntie", Haruka smiled anyway.

"Alright, Keitaro. You got yourself a deal" she said, giving her nephew a soft hug. She then got up and walked towards the room's door. She placed her hand on the handle and turned around to look at Keitaro. "Oh, and 1 more thing: You call me 'Auntie' again and the next time, I'll use a Steel Fan. Ya got me, kid?" she slid the door open and walked out, shutting the door behind her, leaving a sweat-dropping Keitaro rubbing the back of his head.

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Outside Keitaro's room...

"So...How is he?" a certain young lady asked Haruka once she had shut the door behind her. The Urashima woman had been in there for a while. The older woman took out a cigarette from her apron and lit it up, taking a drag.

"Well, he seems to be doing a bit better. But still, he sure as Hell is troubled by what went down at lunch" Haruka informed with her usual, stoic face. The girl in front of her rubbed her arm, looking down at her feet.

"Well…I only hope, for everyone's sake…that he doesn't decide to leave us...or me" were her quiet words. Haruka blew some smoke through her nose and closed her eyes tiredly.

"Yeah, you said that downstairs already" she shot back. She ignored the girl's sigh. "Why don't you just TRY and talk to'im by yourself? Because you, as well as the others know just WHAT kind of guy he is. Keitaro doesn't take hints, he's too thick-headed to see them anyway" Haruka chuckled. "If you're gonna tell'im how you feel, don't hit around the bush. Go right down to the point" she finished. The woman in front of her raised her head and looked back at her with mild annoyance.

"I know, I know! I just…I'm afraid, Haruka!" she said. "I…I'm just sure he'll reject me! No matter…no matter how much he lessens the blow. Besides…" she looked away from Haruka's face. "You and I know damn well he's all head-over heels in love with Naru-chan. I can't-" Haruka cut her off with a raised eyebrow.

"You know? I'm not that sure about that right now…at least, as much as Keitaro used to love her" she stated quietly. The younger woman turned back to her with half-open eyes.

"I…I just don't think…I don't think it's the right time to talk to him anyway" she turned around, leaving her back facing Haruka. "I mean…after THAT happened down stairs and all" she began to walk away. The Urashima woman just took the cigarette out of her mouth, dropped it to the floor and stepped on it. She then crossed her arms over her chest.

"Is that so? Don't wait too long, then. Or else, dear…the boy might just slip through your fingers if you don't act. Someone else could steal him away from you" she whispered to herself.

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In the living room…

A bit after Haruka walked upstairs along with Kitsune to talk with her distraught nephew, the girls gathered around to have a small talk about what went down at lunch. They weren't having much result, though. Shinobu was sitting quietly on a couch, with the ever-hyper Su calmly lying her head down on the bluenette's lap. Naru was sitting on a small wooden chair, absently curling and uncurling her fingers in some strands of her hair. Motoko was sitting with her legs crossed, leaning against a nearby wall.

Minutes went by.

"So…is anyone going to say something?" The group's swordswoman broke the silence with a neutral face. The oldest girl in the room sighed tiredly.

"Alright, I…" Naru began. (A/N that mean girl who hits Keitaro all the time...oh thats right your reading this sorry.) "I'm not really sure…of just what to say right now" she ran a hand through her hair. 'Damn it, Keitaro…!' she thought angrily at first. 'Damn it…for once, I'm sure this was my fault. It's because of me that you snapped…but WHY is it SO damn hard to SAY this!?' she thought, frustrated.

"I only hope Sempai will be alright…he was so…he looked so scary" Shinobu spoke up, stroking Kaolla's blonde hair. The young foreigner was still shocked about what she saw her favorite plaything do. For now, she just remained silent, letting her friend stroke her worries away.

Just then, Mitsune walked in with Haruka behind her. Motoko and Naru stood up from their seats, while Shinobu kept in her place, not wanting to disturb Kaolla. The first one to speak was…

"Haruka-san, is Urashima alright?" All eyes fell on Motoko. They'd be damned if they weren't expecting HER to ask first…shrugging off the momentary shock, Haruka crossed her arms over her chest and spoke calmly yet her voice was cold and commanding.

"He's doing definitely better. But now, I'm going to say this once, and only once: all this 'pervert' shit, Naru-Punches and Ki attacks thing has GOT to stop" her steely, cold gaze fell on both Narusegawa and Aoyama. "Or else…" she let the words linger, letting the message sink in. Everyone (even Shinobu and Su) nodded in unison.

When Haruka Urashima made a threat, the worst mistake one can do is take it lightly.

"Good. Now, I'm going back to my tea shop. If anything else happens, I want someone to come and get me not a second after" she finished. Everyone nodded once again and she walked out the Inn.

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Back in Keitaro's room… (A/N yes I know back and forth back and forth.)

'God…even after that talk with Aunt Haruka I…I still can't believe I snapped at the girls…' the young man was sitting at his study desk, hoping some good ol' studying would distract and calm him down. It wasn't working, as the pencil in his right hand was slowly beginning to crack under his grip. 'Though…it wasn't so hard to bark at Motoko-chan…too bad I didn't get the chance to show Narusegawa a piece of my mind!' the pencil suddenly broke in half. Keitaro's hand then relaxed a bit. 'But I…I don't think the others should've really seen that side of me…I just hope they can all forgive me…' his face took on a sad and ashamed expression. However, his thoughts were interrupted again by another knock at his door. He sighed. 'Ok…who is it this time?'

"Yes?" he asked. He didn't like the answer.

"Hey, Keitaro. It's…it's me. Can I…Can I come in and talk to you?" Naru's voice sounded somewhere between shy and doubtful.

'Damn it!' Keitaro gritted his teeth. 'Not her! Not now…!' he took a breath and let it out to try and calm himself down.

"O-Ok Narusegawa. Come in" he hissed.

He nearly snarled when he saw Naru's frame when she began to open the door. He quickly fought back the anger and put on a fake smile. 'You bitch! Now I'll show you…! Damn it! Calm down, calm down…' The girl fully opened the door and stepped in, not bothering the close the door behind her. She walked up next to him and sat down.

"H-Hey Keitaro. How do you feel?" she asked. 'Like biting YOUR head off next!' "I've…been better" he replied instead. Naru nodded nervously. She then noticed the textbooks on his desk. She let out an uneasy smile. "Studying, I see" she brushed some strands of hair behind her ear and looked down. "Look, Keitaro…I…I-I'm…"

Why was it so hard to apologize to him? Naru gathered all her willpower and tried again.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry for…" she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for all the times me and Motoko-chan have called you a pervert!" Naru nearly shouted in his face. She then looked up to meet his steely gaze and looked back down. "And for…for all the beatings, as well. We…We've never let you explain…" she began twiddling her thumbs together. "B-But…" she spoke again and looked back up. "But you HAVE to understand, Keitaro! I…I always get really je-je-jealous of how the others seem to get all your attention and…!" Keitaro raised a hand and stood up, a signal for her to shut up. He then walked around for a moment, before stopping and looking back at the brunette, who was looking at him in confusion.

"Wait…wait a minute! Narusegawa, unless my ears are playing tricks on me…" his face was one of confusion and he had an odd grin. "Did I just hear YOU saying…you get JEALOUS of the girls that get my attention more than you? Did I hear that right?" Naru looked at him in mild shock and then looked back down; her honey-brown bangs covering her face.

"Yes, Keitaro…you heard right" she whispered, nearly frustrated. 'Come on, Keitaro…this is already hard enough! Don't…please, DON'T make this worse for me…for both of us' She looked back up at the young man standing before her with moist eyes. "Now, look! Yes, I DO get jealous of the others! B-But I KNOW now that…that I jump into conclusions too often! All I can ask you is to forg-" she was cut off, again. Keitaro raised a hand.

"You know what, Narusegawa? NOW I see just WHY you act the way you do" the grin on his face had now disappeared. Keitaro's eyes were narrowed and he was pointing an accusing finger at Naru. "You are COMPLETELY insecure about yourself! Am I wro-" Naru's fist cut him off in the form of an uppercut that sent him straight up through the ceiling.

Keitaro was surprisingly calm. His eyes were cold and steely. His face was stoic and relaxed…pretty calm for someone flying through the air. He calculated the angle of the fall and emotionlessly let gravity do its thing.

He crashed head-first through the Hinata Tea Shop's roof and impacted with the solid hardwood floor. Fortunately, there weren't any costumers at that exact time. The last one had left about a minute ago. Anyway, the second Keitaro's head hit the floor between a couple of tables, he had 1 main thought before he blacked out because of impact.

'That's it. I'm done with her AND this place. I'M OUT OF HERE!'

About 5 to 10 minutes later, Keitaro's eyes opened and were met by Haruka's looking down at him. He pulled himself into a sitting position in his aunt's bed. Haruka had picked him up from the crash site and took him to her room. Now, the oldest Urashima raised an eyebrow.

"You Ok, kid? That was some rough landing" she commented. Her nephew just looked at her calmly.

"What time is it?" he asked. Haruka shrugged and looked at her alarm clock. "Near 5 o'clock. Why?" Keitaro nodded, looking thoughtful. "Aha…The next train should leave in about half an hour…" Haruka frowned at that. "Keitaro, just what are you thinking on doing?" she asked. Her nephew just gave her an angry look.

"Haruka, I've been knocked around for the LAST TIME!" her eyes widened. First: he didn't call her 'Aunt' or put the –'san' proverb. And second: he barked that final part of the sentence. He went on, with moistening eyes and gritted teeth. "I'm out of here, Haruka. I'm just SICK of this!" his fists were balled tight and shaking.

His aunt's face returned to its usual, stoic mask and she stood up, crossing her arms over her chest. She remained silent as Keitaro rose from her bed. But before he could walk out her door…

"I know you are, Keitaro. But listen to this: I don't want you to leave just yet" she spoke calmly, giving her back at her nephew, who turned around with a scowl.

"And just WHY shouldn't I beat it out of here!?" he barked. He loved his aunt, but yet…she herself wasn't reason enough to stay there. Haruka turned around and met his gaze with her own.

"First of all: trust me. Ok? I know something that…you might want to consider for a moment, before you go, pack it up and catch the next train out of here"

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Back at the Hinata Inn…

Down at the living room, after Naru had gone up to Keitaro's room, the girls were just sitting and having some small talk with each other. However, when they heard an all-too-familiar roar and then the following CRASH! Kitsune, Motoko, Shinobu and Suu (who had dozed off in her friend's lap) immediately got up and ran upstairs.

They already knew just WHAT had happened…'Goddamn it, Naru-chan! WHAT were you thinking!?' Mitsune thought with anger as she ran ahead of the younger girls. They all gathered at Keitaro's room's opened door.

Mitsune felt her blood boil.

Naru was just standing there, in the middle of the Manager's room; her arm and fist were raised in an uppercut motion. She was breathing heavily and her head was lowered and her back was facing the other tenants. What finished the image was the roughly-made, human-sized hole above her, RIGHT were her fist was facing upwards.

"You…" Kitsune hissed like (ironically) an angry wild fox. "You hit him…AGAIN!" she barked. Narusegawa slowly turned to face her best friend and fellow tenants. Her face was somewhere between shock and twisted realization.

'No…oh NO! Oh God! He'll NEVER forgive me for this! I…I just know!' was her most desperate thought, evident by the tears already sliding down her cheeks. She hastily tried to find an explanation to try and calm down Kitsune, who was practically baring her canines at her.

"L-Look, Kitsune-chan! I-It…it was HIS fault! He said I was-" she was cut off by Mitsune in the form of a hard slap to the face, which nearly made her loose her balance and hit the floor.

"Don't YOU 'Kitsune-chan' me. Didn't you hear what Haruka-san told us? HUH!, did you?" she hissed. Her hands were tightly balled into fists and shaking. "I should go down to her place and tell'er this myself" she said nearly casually. Shinobu, Su and Motoko meanwhile, were just watching the scene fold before them, from the sidelines.

"I think, Narusegawa…that I speak for all the others here when I say that…" Kitsune turned to the other girls, who just nodded quietly. "We ARE getting' kinda tired of that goddamn short fuse of yours and all this 'Pervert Bashing' stuff" Naru was about to protest, and pointed a finger at Motoko, whose eyes widened in shock, but soon lowered her head in shame.

"And don't YOU begin to drop all the blame on Motoko-chan!" Kitsune stopped her. "She's better than you, Narusegawa. She already admitted her fault in this" she explained, and soon returned to the matter at hand. She crossed her arms over her chest and spoke again. "We…_I'M_ tired of YOU hitting Keitaro all the freaking time! Do you get a goddamn _THRILL_ whenever you punch'im, does its turn you on...Naru!?"

Everyone's eyes widened in shock at what the enraged Fox-Woman was implying. She then pointed a threatening finger at her -supposedly- best friend.

"Y'know, girl? If Keitaro leaves because of _you_, not only will I end our friendship on the spot, but also I'll make damn sure YOU WON'T be calling this place YOUR HOME!" she barked. Everything remained silent…until a small sob came from Shinobu. The youngest of the girls was on her knees on the floor, covering her face with her hands.

"P-P-Please…" she sobbed loudly now. "Don't…d-don't fight l-l-like th-this…no more, onegai…" she continued to cry quietly. Motoko quickly knelt besides the petite girl and wrapped her arms around her, letting the bluenette cry on her shoulder. Kaolla jumped on Motoko's shoulders as the older girl took a sobbing Shinobu in her strong arms and lifted her off the ground.

She turned to Mitsune and Naru and gave them a disapproving glare.

"Look at what you did. The 2 of you…" she said coldly and walked away, carrying Shinobu and Su, taking them away from the scene. Kitsune turned to Narusegawa with a cold look. She then turned around and walked away, muttering…

"I need a drink…"

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At the tea shop… (A/N yes again back and forth)

"Haruka, I HAVE to get out of here, or else I'll go crazy!" he protested. His aunt just closed her eyes and spoke.

"Kid, I didn't wanna be the one to actually tell you this, but there's no other way…You see: the reason why you shouldn't leave just yet…" her eyes opened and looked back at his own. "Is because there is _someone_ who doesn't want you to leave" she took out and lighted a cigarette under Keitaro's questioning gaze. "She hopes…you could see her as _more_ than a friend" she took a drag of her cigarette. Her nephew balled his fist and took a step forward.

"Really? Then, are you going to tell me _who?_"

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A/N ok I am leaving it there I hope you enjoyed this chapter I worked pretty hard on it being its nearly 6 in the morning and all but since you guys helped me do this because of your awesome reviews I couldn't help but be inspired to write more, again if you have any comments or suggestion please to tell I will be more than happy to do what I can to either correct or add and give credit as I can. I am also happy to announce that this chapter was re-written with my now long time beta reader, **Major Mike Powell III.**

Thanks for reading.


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